My Old Ohio Home

Included in the Gratton family files collected by Wilfred Harrison (1905 - 1992), of Tenby, Pembrokeshire, a descendant of James Gratton, was the following letter from Agnes Billups, probably to her sister Emily Hall. Following the letter is a transcription and some notes regarding the people mentioned.

Transcription

Dronfield June 11, 1873

My Dear Sister,

I want you to get my black waist finished for Saturday and Harry shall come for it if you can. For we are out on Sunday and I should like it and if you can't, do write by return of post. We all come home on Tuesday and all is well at present. With love to all from your loving sister, Agnes Billups

Notes

A waist is "A garment, or part of a garment, which covers the body from the neck or shoulders to the waist line" according to Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913).

A calendar might be helpful in understanding the rest of this letter:

This letter was most likely written to Agnes' sister Emily Hall, since the collection of letters and documents are in the possession of her descendants. It was written on Wednesday, June 11, 1873. On Monday, June 9, Agnes had been a witness at the marriage of her sister Frances Gratton and John Birley in Sheffield. The other witness was her sister Maria's husband, Henry Boswell. Emily and William Hall were living in Newbold, Derbyshire, in 1871.

Since this is written from Dronfield, I think Agnes might have left her two year old son, John, in Dronfield with her parents when she went to the wedding, and has now returned there to retrieve him. While in Dronfield she asks Emily to have her garment ready by Saturday so "Harry", likely Henry Boswell, can go and get it. Then on the following Tuesday Agnes, John, and the Boswells plan to return home to Attercliffe.

Agnes' husband, Harry Billups, had already left for America in March, so she can't be referring to him when she says "Harry shall come for it."

For more details on the Hall and Billups families, see the Pennsylvania Families tree on this website.